Israel escalates strikes in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows to ‘crush’ Hezbollah

Hezbollah and Israel launch attacks amid increasingly imperilled ceasefire and stalling talks between US and Iran

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The Israeli army has intensified strikes in southern Lebanon, as prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to escalate its offensive in an effort to “crush” Hezbollah in a further erosion of an already fragmented ceasefire.

In turn, Hezbollah said it staged several attacks on Monday on three barracks and a military post in northern Israel “in response to the violation of the ceasefire” by Israel.